Acrylic Painting

Rebecca James

Rebecca, based in Warrnambool, Victoria, works mainly with acrylics on canvas, using layers of paint to create depth and texture.rn

Artist Profile

Rebecca is an artist and writer based in Warrnambool, Victoria.

She works mainly with acrylics on canvas, using layers of paint to create depth and texture, often scratching back the top layer to reveal what’s beneath.

With her paintings Rebecca attempts to capture the moments that make up a life — that first morning cup of tea, the warmth of a wood fire on a cold day, conversations with friends, the beauty of a vase of flowers or a bowl of fruit. She paints with a sense of appreciation for the beauty and chaos of humanity and the world we inhabit. Her paintings encourage the viewer to pause for a moment, to consider and wonder about the people and objects within. There is an element of the familiar in her work, something we all recognise, and we are invited to enter the narrative of the picture, to interpret it through the lens of our own experiences, our own complex lives.

Artist Interview

What medium do you work with, and why have you chosen them?

I work mostly with top quality acrylic paints on canvas. I use acrylic paint as it's fast drying which allows me to layer colours and textures quickly, to experiment and alter my composition and choice of colours as required.

How does your artwork get from initial concept to exhibition stage?

My paintings often start with a vague idea and a rough sketch on paper to help me think about and plan the composition. I then draw these ideas onto the canvas and start painting. My initial painting is quick — thick layers of paint to help me get a sense of the overall composition, though it pretty much always evolves into something different as I work. It's an active process and I'm always changing things, adding new elements, wiping paint away and adding layers of colour, painting over things that don't work. Once I've got the composition right I continue to add layers of paint, concentrating on finessing the smaller details with each layer.

Can you tell us a little more about your creative working environment/studio?

My studio is in a big, self-contained bungalow in our garden. It's a lovely but quite shabby space with a wood fire, bookshelves and a view of the backyard. The bungalow also contains our washing machine and the requisite baskets of clean and dirty laundry. Fortunately (or maybe not), I'm quite good at neglecting housework while I paint.